Highlands, New Jersey

Highlands is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey. The area was explored by Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1525 and settled by the English and Dutch during the 17th century, and the Dutch traded their rum, blankets, and gunpowder for Lenape land. The area was known as "Rensselaer's Hook" under Dutch rule, but the area was conquerred by England during the Anglo-Dutch Wars and renamed to "Portland" in 1664. In 1667, Richard Hartshorne purchased 2,320 acres of land in what is now Highlands and Sandy Hook, and his family became the first permanent settlers of what he named "Portland Point". During the American Revolutionary War, the American loyalists built fortifications on Sandy Hook and in Highlands, and, with British help, they held Sandy Hook for the rest of the war. In 1782, Captain Joshua Huddy was captured and hanged by loyalist irregulars, and Huddy Park in Highlands is named after him.

In 1796, the first hotel was built in Highlands, and this was followed by the building of several more hotels and homes. Highlands became a popular tourist destination, and trains and steamships brought vacationers to celebrate the post-American Civil War prosperity. In 1892, a new railroad bridge opened in Highlands, which was incorporated as a borough on 22 March 1900, it was still an incredibly popular tourist destination during the 1920s. By 1932, however, steamboat operations on the Shrewsbury and Navesink Rivers came quickly to an end. During the later 20th century, Highlands was a clamming town, and its major seafood industry was manifested in its annual "Clam Fest" at Huddy Park and in its most famous restaurants, Bahrs Landing and the Lusty Lobster. During Hurricane Sandy on 29 October 2012, a storm surge of 10 feet swept into Highlands from the Sandy Hook Bay, and most homes and businesses were either damaged or destroyed. In 2016, Highlands had a population of 4,824 people.